Voter Apathy

Voter's apathy, a current and familiar trend in the United States wherein citizens who are eligible by law to participate in national elections forego that right, is a phenomenon that has been mounting for decades. This arguably problematic trend is indicative of several societal and systemic flaws. Indeed, non-participation is one form of protest that many eligible voters may choose, for lack of a better word, to participate in. That does not necessarily indicate apathy, though, as there is an intentional agenda. Voter apathy points perhaps to a sense of overwhelming distress regarding political aims and directions, so much so that citizens may sense that their role is meaningless and may ask themselves, therefore, what is the point? Unfortunately, this trend has swallowed up so large a portion of the voting pool, both registered and unregistered, that our population, distressed and frustrated by how our government is failing its citizens, is failing itself by not allowing electoral outcomes to truly represent the wants of this nation’s citizens.

Last year, the New York Times published a brief article entitled “The Worst Voter Turnout in 72 Years,” which documents some of these statistical trends. They gathered statistics that showcase the poor participation as well as the marked difference between Democratic and Republican voters; more of those who did not opt to vote were registered as Democrats than as Republicans. Indeed, this may be an interesting political comparison, but equally interesting is the question that this trend in our society begs. Why are nearly half of all eligible voters waiving their rights apathetically and what does it accomplish? This question is broader than the scope of this blog post, but is worth raising.

This sub-population of apathetic voters in our country represents the stagnancy of a will to change that which so desperately calls for it in our country. Voter’s are lending their support to stake a claim by using the small voice that they’re entitled to in order to better the direction that this country is heading, whichever way that may be.

Despite the institutional shortcomings that riddle our nation’s government system, we as citizens of this country are fortunate and privileged to be just that. By waiving voting rights, we are perpetuating the existing pitfalls that feature prominently in the “free world” the United States claims to offer. Intentionally opting out of a vote is another matter on its own, but neglecting to participate in the opportunity to influence change in our country is an unjustifiable form of indifference and lethargy that accomplishes nothing.

The image to the right charts the predicted percentage of eligible voters in each state that actually exercise their right based on the midterm elections. The astonishing trend is made clear in this visual representation of research conducted by students at the University of Florida and published by the New York Times in 2014. As a nation, only 36.3% of voters were predicted to vote. Arguably, it is a citizen’s duty to inform themselves of the necessary and relevant information to be an informed and non-apathetic voter, and this societal phenomenon must be reversed in order to collectively better our political system.

Sources:

The Editorial Board, "The Worst Voter Turn Out in 72 Years," New York Times, November 11, 2014, accessed October 31, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/opinion/the-worst-voter-turnout-in-72-years.html?_r=1.

Christopher Cadelago, "SacBee: California's Election May Set Record for Apathy," Inland Politics, November 4, 2014, accessed October 31, 2015, http://inlandpolitics.com/blog/2014/11/04/sacbee-californias-election-may-set-record-apathy/.